Infra-Red Photo-Detectors Monolithically Integrated with Silicon-Based Photonic Circuits

The development of monolithic silicon photonic systems has been the subject of intense research over the last decade. In addition to passive waveguiding structures suitable for DWDM applications, integration of electrical and optical functionality has yielded devices with the ability to dynamically attenuate, switch and modulate optical signals. Despite this significant progress, much higher levels of integration and increased functionality are required if silicon is to dominate as a substrate for photonic circuit fabrication as it does in the microelectronic industry. In particular, there exists a requirement for efficient silicon-based optical sources and detectors which are compatible with wavelengths of 1.3 and 1.5μm. While a great deal of work has focussed on the development of silicon-based optical sources, there has been less concentrated effort on the development of a simple, easily integrated detector technology. We describe here the design, fabrication and characterization of a wholly monolithic silicon waveguide optical detector, utilizing an integrated p+-u-n+ diode, which has significant response to optical signals at the communication wavelength of 1.54μm. Measurable infra-red response is induced via the controlled introduction of mid-gap electronic levels within the rib waveguide. This approach is completely compatible with ULSI fabrication. The requirement for the detectors to be integrated with a rib waveguide and hence the guarantee of a long optical signal-device interaction, results in electrical signals of several μAs, even for deep-levels with a small optical absorption cross-section. Further, the rise and fall time of the detectors is compatible with current monolithic, silicon device based, optical switching and modulation operating in the MHz regime. These results suggest that these detectors offer a cost-effective route to signal monitoring in integrated photonic circuits.